Visual Effects& Motion Graphics

My ideas have power.

Some people see things as they are, and want to make them more interesting, more exciting, more memorable. And a few of them manage to work their way into film and television production houses and design firms, making their living combining images, space, movement, sounds, and imagination to communicate and entertain. If you think you have the talent and commitment to join them, the place to start is with our Visual Effects & Motion Graphics degree programs. Here, you’ll work with professional-grade HD video technology and computer equipment as you have the opportunity to learn to grab the attention of an audience that’s growing more sophisticated every day. You’ll be surrounded and inspired by other talented, creatively driven students. And you’ll be pushed, challenged, and, above all else, supported by experienced faculty* who are dedicated to helping you succeed.

Classroom Experience

Teach me to think in three dimensions.

The Visual Effects & Motion Graphics degree programs can be the path that leads you to a creative career. You’ll start with fundamentals, from principles of typography, color, layout, and design to the latest computer software technologies. You can develop skills in areas like digital compositing to create the layered and textural landscapes that engage audiences on many levels. In a production-style, collaborative environment, you’ll take projects from initial concept to final execution. Working in teams with fellow students, just as you’ll collaborate with others as a creative professional, you’ll push yourself in new directions and arrive at unexpected solutions. You’ll work harder than you thought you could, but you might just go further than you every thought you would. See our gainful employment pages for possible careers that match the program that interests you.

What Will I Study?

I'm ready for the challenge. And I'm not afraid of hard work.

It takes a lot to pull off a truly remarkable visual effect. And it can take everything you have to become one of the professionals who do the job every day. The Visual Effects & Motion Graphics curriculum is focused on helping you do just that through as you study:

3D Design

Maps, Mattes, and Masks

Conceptual Storytelling

Motion Graphics

Video for Visual Effects

3D Modeling and Animation Techniques

Post-Production Management

Camera and Lighting Techniques

Editing for Visual Effects

3D Textures

3D Effects

Advanced Visual Effects

Interactive Visual Design

Production Studio

I'm looking for my proving ground.

At The Art Institutes system of schools, creativity is our core, our calling, our culture. Visual Effects & Motion Graphics is built on that creative foundation. It’s also built on our knowledge that a creative career is not for the faint of heart. Because it’s tough out there, it’s tough in here. But we temper the tough with the support you need to make your creativity marketable. We provide the mentoring and real-world experience you need to prevail, with faculty* who’ve worked in the field and internship possibilities at successful businesses. Here, you’ll be encouraged and expected to be bold. To take risks. To push yourself and the people around you. So if your heart is telling you that you belong in a creative field, you belong here. It’s the hardest thing you’ll ever love.

*Credentials and experience levels vary by faculty and instructors.

Working on game based training for the military has exposed me to things I never would be doing when I started at [The Art Institute of San Antonio].
Sommer Bostick
Media Arts & Animation, The Art Institute of San Antonio, a branch of The Art Institute of Houston, 2014